“Bei eine rein konzertanten Aufführung bleibt es aber nicht; Nina Brazier rettet als ,,Spielleiterin” mit wenigen Requisiten und geschickter Personenführung eine gehörige Portion der burlesken Komik in die Aufführung... Den Mond lässt Nina Brazier in Form seiner vier Buchstaben visualisieren, die als Projektionen an der Betonwand leuchten. Mal verschwinden sie, mal hängen sie den vier Burschen um den Hals - in der Unterwelt prangt der Schriftzug verkehrt herum an der Wand. Eine sinnig-augenzwinkernde Idee, die Geschichte zu ,,bebildern”, ohne sie zu bebildern.

But it does not stop with a purely concert performance; Nina Brazier as Director saves with a few props and skilful people management a portion of the burlesque comedy... Nina Brazier has the moon visualised in the form of its four letters, which light up as projections on the concrete wall. Sometimes they disappear, sometimes they hang around the four boys’ necks - in the underworld the lettering is emblazoned upside down on the wall. A witty, tongue-in-cheek idea to “illustrate” the story without illustrating it.”

“...und nutzen den knappen Raum auf der Bühne des prallvollen Beethovensaals für einige unhaltsame Einlagen in der Regie von Nina Brazier.
and use the tight space on the stage of the beautiful Beethovensaal for many entertaining moments under the direction of Nina Brazier”

“ In this production, the audience inhabits the role of the patron, receiving a top quality performance in unprecedented comfort.

The singers, almost entirely from Oper Frankfurt’s ensemble, are costumed in standard or slightly modified formal wear. There is no set, and the orchestra is on stage. And yet, this no frills production (seen June 13th) is more enjoyable than the mildly surrealist Ariadne normally in the company’s repertoire.

With no set, simplified blocking, and singers placed in acoustically advantageous positions, the current semi-staged production gives the audience a more refined musical experience. Decreasing the visual stimuli allows the audience to relax its eyes and open its ears to hear Strauss’s dense, intricate, rapidly shifting music in greater detail.
...
Such small audiences cannot sustain the opera house financially, so opera fans surely hope the hall can fill again soon. In the meantime, they can relish the strange luxury of intimate A-class opera.”

“The constituent parts have obvious and considerable potential, but it was Nina Brazier’s clear-sighted direction which brought them together into a coherent and convincing whole.

a poignant, at times heartrending, experience.

Mills’ chamber opera does reveal the complexity of human experience and relationships which, in this performance at Kings Place, Brazier’s sensitive handling of the material communicated directly. ”

“Für die Wiederaufnahme ist es der Spielleiterin Nina Brazier gelungen, diese genaue und doch von leichter Hand gewobene Personenregie mit einem sehr engagierten und hoch agilen Ensemble wiederzubeleben.

Insgesamt wird in unverbrauchter Frische eine Produktion präsentiert, die intelligente und dabei kurzweilige Unterhaltung bietet. Ein Besuch dieser Wiederaufnahmeserie wird dringend empfohlen

Staff director Nina Brazier has succeeded in reviving this precise and yet lightly woven character-led direction with a very dedicated and highly agile ensemble.

Overall, this is a production presented in untarnished freshness that offers intelligent and diverting entertainment. A visit to this revival series is highly recommended.”

“Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’, directed by Nina Brazier at the Delphi Theater in Berlin, inaugurated Opernfest, the International Festival of Young Opera Singers, hosted by the Berlin Opera Academy. Brazier’s production was characterized by an economy of gesture married to an unbridled sense of whimsical fun.

Brazier’s production was able to spotlight Mozart’s genius, while simultaneously teasing out relevant social issues and showcasing the idiosyncratic brilliance of the singers. The cherry on the cake was the setting: the Delphi theatre, inaugurated in 1929. It offered the perfect sanctuary for a fraught yet carefree reverie.”

“Die opulent ausgestattete Umsetzung wurde jetzt zum zweiten und letzten Mal wiederaufgenommen. Ein Besuch lohnt sich unbedingt

The lavish implementation has been revived for the second and final time. A visit is absolutely worthwhile”

“Fast auf den Tag vor neun Jahren besuchte ich erstmals die geniale Produktion „La damnation de Faust“ (Hector Berlioz) des Regie-Altmeisters Harry Kupfer welche nun sehr detailliert unter der Leitung von Nina Brazier an der Oper Frankfurt ihre glanzvolle Wiederaufnahme erlebte.

...Mit frenetischem Beifall und viel Jubel feierte das Publikum alle Beteiligten bis nach zwei kurzen Durchgängen der Vorhang abrupt fiel. Opernfreunde aus nah und fern sollten eine der Folge-Aufführungen am 21./26. + 30. Juni keinesfalls versäumen.

Almost to the day nine years ago I saw the ingenius production of ‘’La Damnation de Faust’’ by the master director Harry Kupfer, which now under the detailed direction of Nina Brazier has its brilliant revival.

... With frantic applause and much cheering, the audience celebrated all involved until after two short rounds the curtain fell. Opera friends from near and far should by no means miss one of the performances on 21./26. + 30. June.”

“gab es Beifallsstürme... Nun wurde diese Inszenierung zum zweiten und letzten Mal wieder auf den Spielplan gesetzt. Man sollte sich also beeilen...

There were storms of applause… The production was revived for its second and last time. You should hurry up and see it...”

“Auch in der Wiederaufnahme hat die szenische Umsetzung (Leitung: Nina Brazier) nichts von ihrem Schwung verloren. Ja, es scheint sogar, als ob die aktuelle Besetzung die vorangegangen an Spiellaune und gekonnter Lockerheit noch übertrifft. Köstlich etwa, wie Theo Lebow, Michael Porter, Barnaby Rea und Mikołaj Trabka als Gauklertruppe umeinanderwirbeln, sich gegenseitig necken, das Bühnengeschehen mit Mimik und Gestik kommentieren und dabei mit unangestrengter Präzision das Kunststück vollbringen, ihre Späße wie improvisiert wirken zu lassen.

In the the revival (directed by Nina Brazier) the staging has lost nothing of its momentum. It even seems as if the current cast surpasses the previous in playfulness and skill. Delightful, for example, are Theo Lebow, Michael Porter, Barnaby Rea and Mikołaj Trabka as the group of entertainers teasing each other, commenting on the stage action with expressions and gestures, and accomplishing with the utmost precision the feat of making their jokes seem improvised.”

“Diese Wiederaufnahme vereint kurzweilige und intelligente Unterhaltung mit Vokalakrobatik und opulentem Strauss-Sound vom Feinsten. Wir empfehlen, den Preis für die teureren Karten in den vorderen Parkettreihen nicht zu scheuen, um keine Nuance des ausgefeilten Spiels der darstellerisch exzellenten Besetzung zu verpassen.

This revival combines entertaining and intelligent entertainment with vocal acrobatics and opulent Strauss sound at its best. We recommend not to shy away from the price of the more expensive seats in the front rows of the stalls, so as not to miss any nuances of the sophisticated play of the outstanding cast.”

“★★★★ profoundly moving and sometimes heartbreaking”

“★★★★ East West Street told a compelling story deftly interwoven with poignant musical interludes. It powerfully connected abstract legal concepts like ‘crimes against humanity’ with the deeply personal stories of the people involved. East West Street came alive most affectingly, and the courtroom trial of Hans Frank was the soaring high point. The courtroom tension was palpable”

“Nina Brazier’s production struck the right balance between external fun and internal feelings... What might have been a simple comic romp of disguises and thwarted infatuation becomes, as with Cosi fan Tutte, a lesson in the meaning of love”

“highly imaginative... Nina Brazier has shown her talent as a director... emphasising clarity of plot outline... a fascinating experience”

“★★★★ Director Nina Brazier’s edited version, cutting the action down to a single hour, compresses and consolidates the tragedy, producing a searingly intense treatment which tears at the heart... leaves plenty of space for the actors to realise Brazier’s dynamic, physically driven production... By the end, the tears were streaming down my face”

“★★★★ a boldly ingenious experiment. This offering from The Hermes Experiment stands on its own... moving in a way that transcends technique... This fascinating Shakespeare collaboration between Director (Nina Brazier) and Composer (Kim Ashton) is a groundbreaking, and often inspirational, blend of music, movement and text.”

“Whilst Shakespeare’s text provided the solid framework, director Nina Brazier cleverly constructed an intricate web of sound, word and movement around the plot... It is this kind of intimate care and thoughtfulness applied to all aspects of the production that makes it possible to create rich psychological drama out of sparse branches of The Winter’s Tale”

“brilliantly summing up the gist of the original... a most impressive production that gripped the capacity audience from beginning to end... an ideal way to present Shakespeare. It deserves far more than one showing.”

“tautly-directed action”

“★★★★ skilfully crafted”

“boundaries between words, music, and gesture, between actors and musicians, between most components present or believed to be present, were questioned, blurred, negated, perhaps even, dare I suggest it, transcended...
There was, then, a particular, one-off sense of enchantment to the night’s proceedings.”

“fine performances... Brazier’s staging served Shakespeare, certainly, but she responded organically to the opinions offered in Ashton’s score.”

“Ukrainians and foreign guests alike were in tears... The story, narrated by the actress Katja Riemann and international lawyer Philippe Sands, equally captivated the audience”

“Nina Brazier makes ingenious use of the intimate space”

“the singing and acting was of astonishing quality... the communication was superbly clear”

“The Ryedale Festival staging of Poppea came to the Lammermuir Festival and Perth Concert Hall two years back, and was a superbly memorable performance. It can be said straight away that this [Alcina] was every bit as good. It will have left the audience, who were completely gripped throughout, waiting eagerly for a third offering of this quality.”

“performed with poise and aplomb”

“An impressive staging of a fine opera... a highly effective production”

“given an impressively light directorial touch by Nina Brazier... The simplicity of the staging and direction meant that the music was allowed to speak for itself, portraying the characters in the way that Handel’s music suggests”

“Nina Brazier returned as the skilful director”

“★★★★★ The talented Nina Brazier certainly deserves extremely positive kudos for her stellar direction... La Bohème was a real smash”

“★★★★ realised with great assurance, variety and a genuine music theatre sensibility ”

“Almost incredibly, sumptuous fin de siècle Paris was easily evoked... chorus radiated unfailing bonhomie... So many delights”

“The highlight so far is The Merry Widow... an operatic answer to Grexit... ”

“skilfully illustrated... Audience silence reigned throughout”

“the expectancy in the hall was tangible. It was fulfilled, too in a lively production that stripped away the inessentials and left Mozart and Schikaneder to speak for themselves. Indeed the dialogue was admirably clear... ”

“★★★★★ Here’s a Magic Flute that lives up to its name and gives the lie to those who lazily condemn opera as elitist... The standard of performance reaches the rafters”

“mesmerisingly good... this new touring production put scarcely a foot - arguably not a foot - wrong

Surprises, refinement and finesse in Young Opera Venture’s Magic Flute... one that one will remember, and relish the memory with pleasure.”

“A sobering, fascinating, and in the best sense provocative evening”

“the show was a triumph, another feather in Ryedale’s operatic cap. ”

“The Coronation of Poppea in a zappy new translation by John Warrack, was tightly directed by Nina Brazier... The production struck a precise balance between drama, cruelty and comedy.”

“★★★★ Nina Brazier’s production for Ryedale Festival Opera, on tour at Grimeborn, resoundingly succeeds on all levels, giving us an evening of luxurious beauty, abandoned sensuality and superb characterisation.”

“★★★★ a cast that projected both the heavy and lighter moments with engaging conviction. Three and a half hours went by in a flash”

“★★★★ Far more exciting for us to see stylised spectacle cast aside and the focus diverted to the characters, their emotions and the intrigues of an opera whose storyline reeks of lies, distortion and deceit. That’s what Ryedale Festival gave us on Saturday in this first ever venture into opera by the Lammermuir Festival”

“the audience were absorbed in the drama right from the start... a thoroughly absorbing evening”

“The wonderful performance of Ryedale Festival Opera - a production which had economic clarity... a real pleasure... performed superbly...”

“★★★★ a constant, ingenious delight”

“★★★★★ I have not seen such an entrancing and engrossing production of The Coronation of Poppea for years. ”

“★★★★★ This was production where you could simply follow The Coronation of Poppea like a play, catching every word and with the singers colouring each dramatic nuance. It made for gripping theatre”

“a splendid production”

“Evenings like this are too good to miss.”

“A full house greeted both performances of The Magic Flute, given in a lively new production by Nina Brazier... Surely it’s time for the festival to consider a third, even fourth, performance.”

“★★★★ Their audience receives two shows in one: a charmingly simple theatrical performance and a compelling musical accompaniment... By setting the piece in an intimate, casual stage space and stripping the performance of OTT features, Nina Brazier points to beauty that’s not comprised of visual ornamentation, optical illusion, delusion...”

“the performance had lovely ensemble feel...There was a lot of delightfully detailed interaction between the characters...the cast impressed with their consistency, the lovely feeling of ensemble, the nice detailing and great sense of energy. The directness of Brazier’s production, without any gimmicks, ensured that the story was told in a clear way.”

“This small scale Magic Flute in the Grimeborn Festival 2013 at Dalston, delighted the packed press night audience... choreographed simply and cleverly by Nina Brazier...the whole Creative Team collaborated to make this a memorable Flute for us and doubtless for all the participants...

This production might well be considered for a DVD, to set alongside those from major productions.”

“this double bill consisting of two rarely performed one-acters is effectively staged by Nina Brazier...the second half, the brilliant 1909 comedy Susanna’s Secret really hits the spot”

“beautifully crafted”

“A BUMPER WEEK FOR SLEIGHT OF HAND...SEX, SMOKE AND HOCUS POCUS INFORM A NIFTY DOUBLE BILL
Pianist-translator David Eaton and director Nina Brazier’s nifty, thrifty double-bill for the Grimeborn Festival...”

“★★★★ delightful... This is a really polished and well directed piece of work”

“★★★★★ this presentation was immense fun, very well sung and played, and resourcefully directed... this is, as Emile de Becque would say, ‘some enchanted evening’”

“I was impressed by Nina Brazier’s creative production which had added zest”

“★★★★ GLORIOUS GRIME IN GRIMEBORN... as Nina Brazier’s modest, effective production shows, it works on stage; it has a story to tell and tells it straight: think Puccini on Broadway”

“★★★★ The Old Maid and the Thief set a high standard for the rest to follow”

“ingeniously seductive. The piece, musically directed by Timothy Henty and minimally staged by Nina Brazier could hardly be better done”

“★★★★ utterly riveting”

“Bewitching”

“★★★★ There are some lovely sharp turns in Nina Brazier’s fleet-footed production”

“brings Bennett’s timeless personal tales to local doorsteps with panache and poignancy... Full of humour, idiomatic metaphor and delicate nuances, all three simple stories enchant and delight ”

“fine performances bring each tale to life and fully capitalise on Bennett’s rich text”

“a tour de force…expertly delivered…brilliantly sustained”

“beautifully observed within the confines of Nina Brazier’s resourceful production by a fine ensemble”

“Elegantly controlled and wickedly funny... An entertaining night in the country”

“Director Nina Brazier draws sensitive performances from her cast”

“moving and disturbing... beautifully portrayed”

“Flor-adorable! Her production was a masterclass of blocking combined with the clever use of simple ensemble tableau. Ken Livingstone-type traffic jams should have occurred but Ms. Brazier managed to circumnavigate them with a flourish. A beautiful piece wonderfully performed at the Finborough. Enterprising Producers and Opera Companies please note!”

“Artistic director Neil McPherson, producer Susannah Stevens, and director Nina Brazier deserve our warmest gratitude, and the good news is that there is more to follow. Don’t miss it!”

“This production oozes quality”

“sweet, endearing and intelligent... and most importantly, leaves the audience wanting more.”